State Highlights: Md. Candidate Fires Back Over Ads About His Single-Payer Plan; States Shouldn’t Rely On Sin Taxes, Report Warns

The Washington Post:
Jealous Campaign Disputes Claims In Hogan Attack Ad On Single-Payer Health Care
An attack ad by Gov. Larry Hogan (R) paints the health-care plan proposed by his Democratic opponent, Ben Jealous, as irresponsible and unaffordable. But the dramatic number it relies on — $24 billion — was gleaned from state analysts who based their work on a study suggesting such plans could save money overall. The ad says Jealous’s “risky plan for health care will cost at least $24 billion a year. Every year.” (Thompson, 7/23)

The CT Mirror:
Report: 'Sin' Taxes Pose Fiscal — Not Health — Risks For States
Connecticut and most other states need to be cautious about their rapidly increasing reliance on cigarette and other volatile “sin” taxes, according to a new report from Pew Charitable Trusts. The report offers a similar caution about legalizing and taxing recreational marijuana, warning revenue-hungry states from assuming big cash returns right away. (Phaneuf, 7/23)

The Associated Press:
Transgender Student Seeks Injunction In Bathrooms Lawsuit
A federal judge is weighing whether to grant a preliminary injunction to allow a transgender student to use male bathrooms in a southwestern Indiana school district. U.S. District Judge William Lawrence heard the injunction request Friday in Evansville. The request was made by the 17-year-old student who is suing Evansville Vanderburgh School Corp. over student bathroom availability, the Evansville Courier & Press reported. (7/23)

The Star Tribune:
UnitedHealth Plans To Bet Bigger In Texas
UnitedHealth Group's urgent-care division is opening a dozen new centers in the state of Texas. The Minnetonka-based company's MedExpress business announced this month the opening of two new urgent-care centers in Texas, plus plans for a third additional center in the state by October. The openings would bring the statewide total to 14 urgent-care clinics, up from two in Texas as of December 2017. (Snowbeck, 7/23)

Des Moines Register:
Fines, Penalties But Five Star Rating At Iowa Nursing Home Cited For Abuse
The Iowa Department of Inspections and Appeals recently proposed a $29,750 fine for the Timely Mission Nursing Home in Buffalo Center due to the Feb. 27 death of Virginia Olthoff. However, the state has not imposed that fine to allow the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to take over the case. To date, no state or federal fine has been imposed. Despite having been fined last year for the physical abuse of residents, Timely Mission currently has CMS’ highest possible ranking for quality of resident care — five stars — but the lowest possible ranking in terms of government-inspection results. It has an overall rating of two stars, which CMS labels "below average." Some of the agency's ratings have come under fire recently because they are based in part on unverified, self-reported data. (Kauffman, 7/23)

Concord (N.H.) Monitor:
Concord Mom Worries Weakening Federal Health Care Law Will Threaten Life Of Her Son
The mother of a 4-year-old boy in Concord who suffers from a rare neuromuscular disease said she’s deeply worried about her son’s ability to survive if the national health care law continues to be weakened. ... New Hampshire’s two Democratic senators blamed President Donald Trump and his administration for “sabotaging” the Affordable Care Act – better known as Obamacare. The ongoing efforts to erode the law has resulted in rising prescription drug prices, skyrocketing health insurance premiums and weakened protections for pre-existing conditions. (Steinhauser, 7/23)

KQED:
California Will Pay You To Get High For Driving Study
To address the problem, the California legislature is funding a UC San Diego study that will determine how pot affects driving performance and how soon after smoking pot is it safe to drive. Researchers are recruiting 180 people for the study, which will consist of having participants smoke varying amounts of marijuana or a placebo and then participate in driving simulations and cognitive tests. (Ahmed, 7/23)

San Jose Mercury News:
Bay Area Hospitals May Be On Block Again
Santa Clara County is hoping to buy a pair of struggling hospitals that have long served as a safety net for the poor, less than three years after they were sold to a New York hedge fund in a state-approved deal to ensure they remained open. County Executive Jeff Smith said the county sees a renewed opportunity to acquire O’Connor Hospital in San Jose and St. Louise Regional Hospital in Gilroy as public hospitals to extend its reach and help relieve overcrowding at the county-run Santa Clara Valley Medical Center in San Jose. (Woolfolk, 7/23)

Arizona Republic:
Arizona Corrections To Appeal Contempt Ruling Over Prison Health Care
Attorneys for the Arizona Department of Corrections filed notice over the weekend they will appeal a finding of contempt of court to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. In June, U.S. District Court Magistrate Judge David Duncan found the department, its director, Charles Ryan, and its medical director, Richard Pratt, in civil contempt of court for repeatedly failing to meet the conditions of a 2014 court settlement with the American Civil Liberties Union over health care in state prisons. (Kiefer, 7/23)

The Baltimore Sun:
Bon Secours Health System, Mercy Health To Complete Merger In The Fall
Marriottsville-based Bon Secours Health System and Mercy Health of Ohio expect to complete their merger in the fall, officials with both said Monday. Mercy Health President and CEO John M. Starcher Jr. will head the new health system, while Bon Secours board chairman Chris Allen will lead the new board. The new entity, which will be the fifth-largest Catholic health system in the country, is to be named Bon Secours Mercy Health, officials said. They described it as a merger of equals that will aim to maintain the identities of both partners. (McDaniels, 7/23)

Nashville Tennessean:
LifePoint Health To Be Combined With RCCH HealthCare After Apollo Buy
Private equity firm Apollo Global Management will spend about $5.6 billion to buy the rural hospital chain LifePoint and combine it with health system operator RCCH HealthCare Partners. Both companies are based in Brentwood. LifePoint shareholders will receive $65 in cash for each share in a deal that's worth about $2.7 billion not counting net debt and minority interest, the companies said. (McGee, 7/23)

This is part of the KHN Morning Briefing, a summary of health policy coverage from major news organizations. Sign up for an email subscription.